Mormon Undergarment

Please do not do a google search of the temple ordinances or garments. The sites you will find are disrespectful and inappropriate. If you want to find out more about temples, go to LDS.org. These things are sacred to us so please respect that. It is totally fine to handle them, remove them, whatever is necessary. Just remember to keep them off the floor and with the patient's belongings like you would anything else. Thanks.

I disagree.

If you want actual information on the LDS (Mormon) church, their temple garments, ordinances, beliefs, etc, yes, go to an official LDS site but also go to sites the church is not able to censor. There are many, good, scholarly books, articles and websites about their church and yes, there is some total garbage out there, too. Just like anything else.

I don't accept platitudes such as "sacred, not secret" in lieu of actual details. Gimme me a break, and gimme the truth! What’s so wrong with the whole truth right up front?

Please note clearly: I have not slandered the Mormon church, their members, nor their beliefs or doctrines (one way or the other). I simply suggest there is more than one source of information about things LDS than "the official position." I hope I respect other beliefs as I want mine respected. I have lots of close family and friends in the LDS (Mormon) church and have studied them extensively. I suggest if you want to know more, you look in more than one source. Kinda like "evidence based practice."

Regards,

Ken

Normally, I would agree, Ken but in this case....

As a nurse, if my care is to be culturally competent, I need to understand how my LDS patient views these items of spiritual care. Thus I need the LDS view not the "cultwatch" view.

This is not a debate on whether LDS is a valid belief. It is a discussion of what these items signify to the patient and how to appropriately care for the patient with these items, if there is no particular medical/nursing reason that they need to be removed.

There are a lot "spiritual" things that we may view as nonsense...but we cannot treat them as nonsense because it would be poor nursing care.

The American flag is "merely" a piece of cloth to many people in this world. Someone of another nationality could come into a room, see one hanging, decide it is an unessential item that has safety implications and throw it is the trash...and if there is a died in the wool "good ole boy " vietnam vet in the room, find themselves pinned to the floor and being soundly beaten to a pulp. Just for this "piece of cloth". because this "piece of cloth" has a lot more meaning to a group of "true believers".

As nurse we do not have to believe in the LDS - but we do need to accord the spiritual items that they hold dear with respect and understand how THEY view them, not our perceptions or derogatory beliefs of them.

I appreciate your desire to separate agreement with a religious belief and practice from your professional responsibilities. I am a Mormon (member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and can suggest some things I hope you find helpful.

The garments can be thought of as priesthood robes, and serve as a symbol or reminder of commitments they have made to God. While ministers typically wear their priesthood robes over their street clothes when doing official duties, Mormons were theirs underneath street cloths most all the time. And, yes, women also wear them.

Nevertheless, exceptions are commonly made for sports and medical requirements which tend to make them impractical. Individuals can determine what exceptions are acceptable. So when possible, ask the patient what they want, but don't be surprised to if different Mormons have widely different attitudes It is generally understood that medical emergencies are a justifiable reason.

If you do take the garment from the patient it is appropriate to fold it up respectfully like the respect a soldier would display as he folded up a flag. Putting it underneath street clothes or in a sack would be appreciated by most Mormons.

Something the patient may not know is that it is possible to order modifications in the garment to allow for special medical needs. Information about that is available at the Church's official web site www.LDS.org. Also here is a direct link to this specific issue: http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1

I hope this helps.

Deuteronomy 22:12

Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

Orthodox Jewish men wear the same one.

this is absolutely amazing
i had no idea that such a thing even existed. i have know many mormons and yet on this i was completely ignorant
i am so glad that this site opens the world
i knew about the fringed prayer cloth that the jews use, a friend of mine went on a pilgramage to isreal and she bought one for a mutual friend and she invited me along when she went to give it to him
it ws beautiful and the sofest wool i have ever touched

OK, not to hijack the thread here, but after reading "Escape", I, too, have a Q about this garment. Do the families make their own undergarment, each to their own, for their children and such, or is there a place within the church that they are available for purchase? In the book, the wives made them for themselves and their children. The type discussed was the wrist-to-ankle type, and they were worn under several layers of very thick stockings. I was just curious as to whether that had changed, as well as the styles. Thanks!

I find this topic interesting..we often get pts who come to the OR dressed. In many cases, this is just a lack of preparedness by the floor or pre-op nurse, but there may come a time when a pt is wearing a garment important to their beliefs.

Good to know how to take care of this..thanks!

I guess 100+ years ago Mormons may have made their own garments. Today they are made in a Church factory and distributed to members throughout the world who have participated in Temple ceremonies (not to be confused with regular Church services every Sunday). Children do not wear them, nor do all Mormons. The long john style going to the wrists and ankles is a option for those needing the extra warmth, but most are short sleeve and short legs (coming to around the knee cap).

The other variation you would want to know about is that the user can choose a one-piece union suit style. It has a wide neck that he can step into and out of. The patient can slip the top off his shoulders and drop them around his waist or further. But you will never remove the the patient's lower half without cutting the garment at the waist line thus separating the top from the bottom. In case of emergency most patients would not complain.

The two piece style is much like a regular T-shirt and shorts (but with a little longer leg than normal). That should present no unusual problem for you. I suspect this maybe a more popular style among most patients, except perhaps the senior citizen crowd. The only difference is personal preference, and the two piece is certainly easier for most folks to negotiate.